MPs LEAD PROTEST AT RUSSIAN EMBASSY – Kuwait urges Security Council to act

14/12/2016

Photo by Mahmoud Jadeed – Kuwaiti protesters during a demonstration outside the Russian embassy to condemn Moscow’s support of the Syrian regime besieging rebelheld Aleppo. Carrying banners saying ‘stop crimes’ and save Aleppo around two thousand demonstrators marched on the diplomatic compound.

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: The State of Kuwait on Wednesday called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to shoulder “its historic responsibility and stop the blood shedding” in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo.

The State of Kuwait, which has followed up “with deep concern and pain, the tragic conditions experienced by our Syrian brethren in Aleppo, has called on the international community, namely the Security Council, to shoulder its historic responsibility and halt the blood-letting, protect the civilians and dispatch humanitarian aid into the city,” said an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Kuwait calls on the international community to respond to the exerted efforts by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey and hold the extraordinary and emergency session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the situation in Syria, the offi cial source added.

Kuwait, in line with its Arab and Islamic responsibilities, it has called for an emergency session of the Arab League Ministerial Council, has also urged for an urgent meeting at the Islamic level to discuss the tragic developments in Aleppo. As part of these efforts, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah has called the chiefs of the GCC, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, counterparts in Arab and Islamic nations, urging them to respond to the call for holding the emergency meetings.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim sent letters regarding the massacres in Aleppo to the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Arab Parliament. He disclosed the Parliament will hold a special session to tackle the Aleppo issue on Dec 28, 2016; while the request to discuss the economic reform document will be included in the agenda of the session slated for Jan 10, 2017. In a related development, a number of citizens, including MPs, gathered Wednesday in front of the embassies area along Gulf Street in protest against the war in Aleppo.

They raised slogans denouncing the crimes, particularly the genocide in Aleppo, calling for international intervention to save the innocent. They also raised their shoes towards the Russian Embassy as a sign of protest. They called on Arab and Islamic countries to adopt a strong stance against Russia and Iran, in addition to severing ties with the latter. They emphasized the need to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and he must stand trial internationally for committing war crimes. Commenting on the issue, MP Jamaan Al-Harbash said Syria sent 500,000 martyrs who are waging war against Russia. He believes the war in Syria is aimed at preventing Palestine and the people of Aleppo from following the stance of Kuwaitis.

“The Parliament was hijacked for three years but the free people (opposition) are now back at Abdullah Al-Salem Hall. We call on the government to expel the Russian ambassador. Kuwaitis should make room to raise funds for the people of Syria,” he added. MP Marzouq Al-Khalifa underscored the need for a unified GCC position to cut ties with Russia, while urging the Interior Ministry to facilitate the entry of Syrians who have families in Kuwait. He also appealed to charitable organizations to open doors for fundraising in order to help the people of Aleppo. MP Thamer Al-Suwait asked the government to take formal action against the Russian ambassador by expelling him “because a humanitarian country does not honor these criminals.”

He stressed the need for the government to declare its official position on the incidents in Syria, indicating the lawmakers have agreed to hold a special session to discuss the situation in Aleppo. MP Abdullah Fahad pointed out the protest is a message on defending Aleppo. He then unveiled a plan to present emergency measures to stop the massacres in Aleppo during the special parliamentary session. He also urged the Interior Ministry to allow Syrians, who have families in Kuwait, to enter the country.

He asserted Iran and Russia are hostile towards the people of Syria. Representative of National Union of Kuwaiti Students-American Chapter Abdullah Al-Ajmi described what happened in Aleppo as a heinous crime, while calling on MPs to efficiently play their role in dealing with the massacres in Syria. The Ministry of Interior (MoI), meanwhile, has asked people willing to protest peacefully at the Russian Embassy in Kuwait over the current situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo to abide by relevant security measures.

The ministry’s Public Relations and Security Media Directorate said in a press release it has received a request from a number of people to protest peacefully in front of the Russian Embassy due to the ongoing events in Aleppo.

It added that it has consented to the protest request provided that the protesters should gather only from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm in line with relevant regulations. In the meantime, the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee met State Minister for Services Affairs Yaser Aboul, a group of pilots and staff of Kuwait Airways Corporation to discuss the problems of pilots. Present at the meeting were Committee Chairman Khalaf Dumaither Al-Enezi, Rapporteur Safa Al-Hashem and members Mohammed Al-Mutair, Abdul-Wahab Al-Babtain, Ahmed Nabil Al-Fadel, Mazouq Al-Khalifa and Saleh Ashour.